It was only two years ago, when Kelsey Robledo was making a name for herself at Anzar High. The sophomore basketball player – who now stands at 6-foot=2 – was dominant for the Hawks.
Leading the team in scoring in 2009 – with nearly 15 points per game – Robledo was named the Coastal Athletic League’s most valuable player. She was fulfilling a dream she had since watching her older sister play sixth-grade basketball when Robledo was in the second grade.
“I started thinking I really like this game, so might as well get good at it,” she said.
She did. But at Anzar, something was missing.
With a smaller selection of students choosing to play sport, and a lack of spark, Robledo called playing at the small San Juan Bautista school “hard.”
After her sophomore year at Anzar, Robledo made the move to the larger San Benito High, where she made an immediate impact on the basketball court.
Last year, surrounded by a group of seniors that included Nicole Rianda and Erin Glasspool, Robledo jumped into the Balers starting lineup and averaged eight points per game. Her play improved simply because the game was more intense and fun.
“The intensity, and the other people’s passion for the game helps – I might not even think it helps – but it helps a lot. It’s the biggest, the most important thing for me,” she said. “For me, it just gets me pumped. When other people want to play, when other people want to play as hard as I do, it gets me pumped. When we are playing, it makes you practice harder and in the game.”
On the offensive end, she controlled the middle for the Balers, but on the defensive side, she was lacking.
But that was last year, head coach Mitch Burley said.
This year, Robledo has made a constant effort to get better on the defensive end, and so far through the beginning of this year, it’s paid off, he said.
“Well last year, I think defense wasn’t one of her strong suits,” Burley said. “She has done a tremendous job of becoming more of a defensive player. She works a lot harder on defense. I can’t be more pleased how she is playing defensively. She has made tremendous strides.”
Robledo, who is averaging more than 12 points per game this year, takes pride in her growing defensive game.
“Making good plays and getting the crowd going is the best part, but defense is really .. it’s a big part of the game and I enjoy it a lot,” she said. “I enjoy when they get really frustrated at you because they can’t get around you. So I try to work on defense and play hard.”
She does that every day and every practice, with the help of Burley, who has taught the senior to stay low on the defensive end.
“‘Believe it or not it’s just every day he tells us to stay low,” Robledo said. “That and working with me and focusing a lot and paying attention to my body and what I’m supposed to be doing – that’s helped a lot.”
Despite her defensive improvements this year, Robledo’s biggest contribution for San Benito is on the offensive end of the court. With the Balers struggling to find secondary scoring behind Robledo, her importance grows each game.
“Well, she is very important, but we just have to get the ball to her more,” Burley said. “Because she’ll score and it will open it up for others to score some points. We just have had trouble getting her the ball.”
That trouble found San Benito in Tuesday’s road game against Notre Dame. The Balers struggled to find Robledo in the low post, and forced outside shots. In the loss, San Benito mustered 25 points – 10 of which came from Robledo.
When Robledo did have the ball, she shot 4 for 11 from the floor. In the loss, she was the only Baler to make two baskets during the contest.
“Well, I think everybody is an important player and it’s important for everybody to score,” she said. “A lot of the times, though, I’m the No. 1 option when we come down the court. I just, I don’t know, I try to get the ball in the hoop.”
That play has quickly turned Robledo into a show-by-example leader for the Balers.
“I’m just trying to get the girls focused and get them to play the best we can,” she said.
